


strangers in the forest

by sunflower_8



Series: halloween countdown-- october twenty nineteen [5]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Banshee!Nagito, Banshees, Cute, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, For two seconds - Freeform, Guns, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, I promise, Implied/Mentioned Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, kind of, mixed signals ik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 03:36:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_8/pseuds/sunflower_8
Summary: happiness bloomed in the winter; they breathed life into each other





	strangers in the forest

The sound of cicadas and birds were the only thing keeping him sane. Rain tapping against a window was the only way he could stop his overthinking. In his cottage, somewhere in the middle of the woods, all he had for company were the sounds of creatures outside. He read books about them often, trying to understand his only ‘friends’. The flora and fauna here are typical, although there’s nonsense pressed into aged stories about  _ banshees _ and  _ vampires  _ and  _ werewolves.  _ It was ridiculous, there was no way those creatures were real.

The cottage in the woods was meant to keep him safe, and that was all it did. There was no time for comfort or fear or superstition. He was beyond it. 

Hinata Hajime lived in the forest, getting lonelier with every sunset.

If this was the way to atonement, he’d pay the price. Even if he could never be happy again.

* * *

The nights were quiet and solitary. Aside from occasional thunder or snowfall, sometimes high enough to block his door, Hinata slept to the sound of silence. Whether or not he slept  _ well  _ was up to discussion, but there was nobody to monitor him anyways. It was peaceful, not disturbed by the noise and the lights of urban cities. It was what he needed: freedom. Time to stop thinking and just enjoy the calm of the storm, enjoy the-

_ Knock knock. Knock. _

Hinata’s eyes snapped up at the noise, his hand instinctively flying to his drawer, where he kept a simple handgun. He’s never had to use it, but an old friend advised that he kept weapons on him, especially since he’s out in the wilderness, completely isolated from phone service and really any people. Following that train of thought, his brain focused on the noise, his heart pounding in his chest. It’s four am, and the woods were barren of any people. Who was at the door? Did they need help?

Hinata got out of bed slowly, his footsteps echoing in the empty cabin as he steadied the gun and braced himself. He opened the door in one broad motion and held his gun steady when-

-huh.

So it was a person. 

The stranger had white hair with very slight rose undertones. They had pale skin, near translucent as Hinata could see the veins running down the intruder’s forearm. They were wearing a large green coat that looked slightly tattered, as well as a dirty white shirt with uninterpretable art on it, and black faded pants. They seemed to be caving underneath Hinata’s gaze, their eyes focused towards the ground and hands shaking slightly from the cold outside. 

Hinata took a breath and lowered his gun, still keeping it to his side as he politely addressed the stranger. “Hello. Do you need anything?”

The man said nothing, instead just shivering. He looked up at Hinata, his eyes a chilling grey color with a minor green hue.

“...Do you want to come inside?” Hinata was aware it was a risk, especially since this man seemed far from normal-- his lack of speech and appearance in the middle of nowhere lead Hinata to that impression-- but it would be rude to leave him out in the freezing weather with nothing but a tatterdemalion coat.

The boy nodded, and Hinata stepped aside to let him in. Immediately, the stranger relaxed at the warmth in the cottage, smiling slightly and warming his hands. Hinata watched with a strange sense of fascination, keeping his distance as he waited for the man to say something. “I-I’m sorry…” The voice didn’t fit the ragged appearance; it was far too innocent and serene to match his desperate expression. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, and I thought this place was abandoned.”

“If you thought it was abandoned, why did you knock?” Hinata asked, keeping pleasantries stored away until he deemed the other safe.

“If nobody replied, I probably would have broken in. But then you answered, and the gun was slightly off putting. I figured running away would have been a bad idea, haha.” The boy chuckled quietly, his voice now sounding slightly raspy.

“Oh. Sorry about that. People aren’t usually in this area, so I was shocked to hear anything.”

“Yeah.” The stranger’s gaze flickered to the ground, but Hinata chalked it up as awkwardness. After all, neither of them knew each other, and yet they were standing in Hinata’s home, staring at each other.

“What’s your name?” Hinata stored away the gun, hoping that it would ease the tension.

“... Komaeda Nagito.” He smiled softly. “What’s yours?”

“Hinata Hajime.”

“Hinata. Like the sun,” Komaeda commented.

“... Yeah.” Hinata fiddled with his shirt awkwardly. “Did you need a place to stay? Food? Directions?”

Komaeda averted his eyes. “I just needed somewhere to stay for a night.”

“Just a night?” Hinata raised his eyebrows. “Where are you from?”

“Oh, just…” He paused. “The town nearby.”

_ Bullshit _ , Hinata thought, but it would probably be rude to say that to Komaeda’s face. Instead, he sighed and put on a smile. “Well, I have a guest bedroom. For no actual reason; it just came with the place. You can stay there for a night, and I can get you some food or something for the road.”

“Oh, no, it’s alright.” Komaeda laughed. “Thanks, though. I promise it’ll just be a night.”

“Alright.” Hinata paused. “Do you want dinner?” Komaeda shook his head, and so Hinata continued. “Okay. I’ll show you where the room is.”

“Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome.” Hinata started walking, hearing Komaeda follow behind him, and gestured at the guest room when they passed it. It was mostly empty, aside from a bed and a side table. He’s only slept there once, just to see if the bed was more comfortable than the one in his room, but he still cleaned the place and washed the bedsheets when he figured it needed it. Komaeda looked extremely thankful for the minimalistic room-- he must be from somewhere with scarce resources-- and thanked Hinata one last time before bidding him goodnight and closing the door. 

Hinata walked to his own bedroom, closing the door and setting the gun on top of his desk before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep, grateful that he could still get some rest even after the late night interruption.

* * *

_ she had dark, twinkling eyes and a curious smirk on her face as she listened to her boyfriend ramble. she hit the brakes more suddenly than normal, and her partner glared at her. “takara!” _

_ “sorry, sorry.” she put her hands up in a surrendering motion. “keep talking.” _

_ her boyfriend continued telling his story about the comedic meeting he had at the office today. takara smiled and nodded along with him, listening to his story with a grin. she switched lanes as she did so, moving to the fast lane so that they could get to the movie theatre a bit faster. it was a good day for a horror movie; the sky was filled with clouds, and there was rain too. they both liked rain. _

_ however, when they heard thunder, her boyfriend flinched. “fuck.” _

_ “it’s fine,” she joked, “just more atmospheric for the movie.” _

_ “you’re right.” _

_ as they drove, their conversation shifted from work to the concept of their own family. “do you want to have kids?” _

_ “yeah.” takara grinned. “three or four.” _

_ “you’re a teacher; that’s a lot of kids to manage.” _

_ “yeah, well i have you, don’t i-” _

_ tree. _

_ there was a tree, it fell, blocked the _

_ streets. _

_ the girl screamed, the guy grabbed the wheel _

_ but nothing could save them _

_ two of them? _

_ at the same time _

_ that’s unfair, i thought i was _

_ getting a break _

_ dead bodies in a car _

_ mouths twisted in a  _

_ scream _

_ god _

_ wAKE UP WAKE UP _

* * *

Hinata woke up to the sound of a scream, disorienting him for a minute or so. It was about six am, which was a fair enough time to be up, but where had the scream come from? He lived alone, he was-

_ Oh. _

Komaeda screamed again as Hinata quickly ran to the guest bedroom, throwing open the door and looking at the shrieking boy. His hands were buried in his hair, and his head was between his knees. He was rocking back and forth, his eyes screwed shut with tears as he kept screaming and screaming and  _ screaming _ .

“Komaeda...!” Hinata moved to sit next to him, looking at him with a frown. “What happened? Are you hurt? Did you have a nightmare?”

Komaeda opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words he let out a chilling wail, one that made goosebumps rise in Hinata’s skin and his blood run cold. There was something about the pitch, a scream mixing smoothly with a sob, a strangled noise that made Hinata still, leaning away from Komaeda ever so slightly. After the noise faded, Komaeda sat up straight, wiping his eyes with shaking hands and looking at Hinata. “Hey. Sorry about… that.”

“... what was that?” Hinata tried to hold back irritation at the lack of an answer.

Komaeda laughed, rubbing his trembling hand against the back of his neck nervously. “Nightmare. Sorry.”

“Alright.” He nodded, because that was a totally acceptable answer, but… that  _ wail _ . It sent shivers down Hinata’s spine, filling him with instantaneous, foreign panic. It didn’t make sense.

It was probably fine, though. After all, Komaeda was a stranger. His baggage wasn’t Hinata’s responsibility.

“I should be on my way,” Komaeda said, stumbling out of bed. “Thank you for your kindness.”

“No problem, but… do you have anywhere to go?”

“What?”

Hinata bit his lip. “I’ve asked you before, but do you really have a place to stay? I don’t mind if you stay a bit longer.”

_ He’s a stranger, Hinata. _

“...” Komaeda hesitated, but the corners of his lips quirked up into a slight smile. “Okay.”

“Okay. You going back to sleep?”

“No.” His answer was immediate. “I can make you breakfast as thanks for your hospitality.”

The tension was still thick on Hinata’s shoulders, even if it wasn’t present in his words. It was almost hard for him to breathe, so he did his best to dispel the dark mood by making a joke. “I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed.”

Komaeda laughed. His voice was scratchy, Hinata noticed. Almost from disuse. How often does he laugh? “Alright, breakfast time!”

“Breakfast time.”

* * *

For the rest of that day, Komaeda was pleasant. He made light conversation with Hinata, discussing his discoveries of the flora and fauna of the forest and rambling about the freeing feeling of being surrounded by nature. Hinata found the man’s words and tales interesting, and it was slightly endearing to watch him gesture wildly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he periodically took a break to eat some of his breakfast. The way he ate was odd, almost ravenous, but also picky. It was odd and abrupt, but he would continue to speak afterwards and Hinata would let it go. 

Although Komaeda was a stranger, talking to him felt… oddly comfortable. Hinata was lonely, which was likely the cause of the strange bond; he had lived in the cottage for two or so years, only talking to his friends whenever they had time to visit, or whenever he hiked to a place with cell service, usually to purchase materials he may need. He wasn’t very keen on people, which made living in the woods tolerable, but conversing with the strange man felt natural. Felt safe.

“Hinata?”

“Yeah?” The brunette looked up, taking a sip from his cup of water and making eye contact with Komaeda’s grey irises.

“What brought you to the woods?”

Hinata paused. There were a lot of potential answers to that question, many of them variants of the truth. Underneath it all, there was one whole truth, one so terrible and wicked and definitely not something Hinata should discuss with a stranger (or even a friend). Hinata took another drink and answered calmly, “I wanted a break from the busy life of a city.”

It was true in many ways. It had a more factual basis than saying that he was out here for environmental research, but more lies than saying that he was escaping a past that haunted him.

Komaeda seemed to believe it. “Oh! Hm, that’s kinda similar to why I came out here. That’s funny, isn’t it?”

“Huh? Why did you decide to live here?”

The white-haired man shrugged, a small smile on his face. “I don’t like people. Cities are busy, like you said. Lots of things happening all at once. One day, while I was trying to get some food, I got overwhelmed by all the white noise and the decisions. So I hiked for about three days-”

“ _ Three days? _ ” Hinata interrupted Komaeda’s story to stare at him with wide eyes.

“I mean, how long did it take you to get here?”

Hinata bit his lip. “My friend drove me to the nearest building, but it took about three hours to get up here.”

Komaeda hummed, his smile looking slightly eerie. “More efficient, definitely. Unfortunately, I don’t have any friends to help shorten the journey! I don’t have many possessions either, though, so I was fine with trudging up here by myself.”

“You don’t have any friends?” Hinata asked, probably a little more blunt than he should have been, but curiosity provoked the question before he could stop to consider it.

“None!”

_ Why does he look so happy? _ Hinata wondered, watching Komaeda take a bite of the toast.  _ Where did this guy come from? _

“Where are you storing your stuff right now?”

“On my person.”

Hinata frowned, scanning Komaeda head to toe. “You don’t have anything on you, other than that jacket.”

“I have a flashlight in my pocket.”

“...Is that really all you have?”

“Yup!”

“Jeez.” Hinata offered a sympathetic smile, his eyebrows still furrowed slightly. “That’s rough, man.”

“It’s fine, Hinata!” Komaeda waved him off. “I could have taken more stuff with me, but I chose not to. So really, my imminent undoing is my fault entirely!”

Hinata stood up, moving to the sink to wash his plate. “You can always stay here, like I said before. ‘Imminent undoing’ doesn’t sound very good.”

“Hm. You’re right, it doesn’t.” Komaeda smiled, moving next to Hinata to clean and dry his silverware and plate. “I don’t want to extend my stay, though. People usually loathe being around me for longer than a few minutes, hahaha!” He giggled as if it was some sort of joke only he got, rather than self deprecation that made Hinata oddly want to reach out and ask if he’s alright. “I can always find somewhere to stay if you don’t want me here.”

“It’s fine, Komaeda.” Hinata hesitated slightly, thinking his words over carefully. “I don’t mind the company. I like talking to you.”

Komaeda stilled for a moment, his smile flickering downwards. He looked confused, looking down at the counter for a few seconds before suddenly looking at Hinata again and smiling. “Okay! Thank you, Hinata.”

The upset expression on Komaeda’s face startled Hinata, but those grey eyes looked into Hinata’s hazel ones, almost pleading, and so the brunette gave in. If Komaeda was going to pretend, so was he. Whatever his conflict was wasn’t Hinata’s business anyway.

_ He kept saying that, and yet- _

“Alright. Well, I’m going to check on my garden.”

Komaeda quirked his head sideways. “You have a garden?” 

“Yeah. The stores are too far away, so I grow most of the things I eat. I still have to get flour and whatever for bread, but I have water and most other ingredients outside. I also have sugar if I ever want to bake, but not much.” 

“Wow!” Komaeda grinned. “That’s really cool!”

“Is it?” Hinata scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Thanks.”

“Creating life instead of destroying it, cultivating something that matters…” Komaeda made eye contact, his eyes filled with excitement and intrigue, “Can I come out with you?”

Hinata shrugged. “Not going to stop you.” Hinata grabbed a coat from beside the door and threw it on, opening the door before remembering that all Komaeda had on him was a ratty jacket. “Hey, Komaeda, you should probably get something warmer.”

The other shrugged. “I don’t really need it.”

“I don’t want you getting hypothermia. Here, one sec.” Hinata closed the door again and went to his closet, ruffling through a few clothes to find a coat. He handed it to Komaeda, who looked at it as if it was a gift from God. Hinata was going to comment on it-- it was  _ just  _ a coat-- but he decided to add it to his long list of questions about the strange person that was Komaeda.

“Thank you so much!” Komaeda slipped it on over his jacket, and the warm fabric engulfed his body. He flapped his arms a few times, which was an inefficient way to fix the long sleeves, but extremely amusing to watch. The coat was definitely oversized, but it was at least keeping him warm.

“You’re welcome. Let’s go.” Hinata opened the door, walking down the path in front of his house and taking a right, going to where he kept his garden. Since it was winter, not many plants were growing. There were onions, peas, beans, carrots, pak choi, beets, radishes, and other kinds of green vegetables. It was less interesting than harvesting the rich fruit of summer, but gardening has always been one of Hinata’s favorite pastimes, so crops of all seasons were welcome.

Komaeda looked at the garden in awe, watching as Hinata opened a tool shed and pulled out a pail of water and some gloves. “Wow. I always wondered how people grew crops in winter.”

“It’s tough sometimes, but luckily I live somewhere with fairly consistent seasons.” Hinata began to pull out weeds, sighing at the feeling of dirt against worn cloth gloves and taking in the cool air against his face. “Sometimes the plants don’t grow great, but they usually do.”

“What do you do if they don’t?” Komaeda asked.

“I usually end up buying food, or try planting in different locations. I sell some of my excess crops and flowers to markets regularly, so I have enough money to buy food and pay water bills.”

“Is that enough money to sustain yourself?”

Hinata paused, trying to choose his words carefully. That wasn’t the only source of money Hinata had; his parents and friends gave him some. That was pathetic to admit, though, and pathetic to think about. Hinata knew why they did it, and he did appreciate it, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty whenever his friend, Sonia, gave him some cash.

_ Sonia was rich, though. So was Kuzuryuu. So it’s fine.  _

“I don’t only get money from selling food, so I end up with enough to afford bills.” Hinata figured if Komaeda had so many secrets of his own, he must not mind if Hinata kept some things to himself, right?

“Oh, okay!”

Hinata sighed in relief. Deflecting the question didn’t seem to throw Komaeda off, since he continued conversation as normal. Hinata finished picking out weeds and watering his plants before beckoning Komaeda inside. The white-haired boy kept rambling about how  _ cool  _ gardening was, and the attention and praise felt slightly strange but… nice. 

It was unsettling how comfortable Hinata was, even though Komaeda had only been there for a day. Still, it felt completely natural, as if they had known each other for a while (even though they both have secrets, and there’s gaps where honesty should be). Still. 

When the two parted for their own rooms, Hinata found himself sleeping easily, an unfamiliar experience to him. He welcomed the feeling, along with the others settling in his heart when the stranger entered his life.

* * *

Although Hinata never gave a time limit to his offer to Komaeda, he was still surprised when a month had passed and the two were still living together. The time had been pleasant and amicable; they had farmed and talked and went to the market once and read books together. The experience returned a feeling to Hinata, one that he was certain he had lost over the years: contentedness. While Hinata’s life never bored him, it was still filled with little to do and repetitive actions, so the opportunity to talk to someone new was exciting. Refreshing. Freeing.

There was more to it, of course. Hinata tried to deny it at first, because it’s  _ unfamiliar  _ and  _ scary _ , but every time he saw Komaeda, he felt affection fester in his chest, something akin to trust and a desire to protect and maybe even love. He didn’t want to think that he was in love with him, because that wretched feeling never lead to good things in Hinata’s life. He can’t deny that something was there, though. Something positive and overwhelmingly good, for now.

“Hinata,” Komaeda called out. Hinata looked over from where he was making dinner.

“What’s up?”

“Do you have any books about mythology?”

Hinata raised his eyebrow. “Never figured you’d be interested in that. But yeah, I do. Follow me.”

Komaeda eagerly stood up, his eyes gleaming with excitement. From most of their conversations, Hinata had gathered that Komaeda was interested in what was undeniably real, even if he was a little strange at times. Still, no harm with looking into superstitions. Hinata couldn’t be bothered, though.

He lead Komaeda to the small room where Hinata kept his collection of books, a fairly impressive amount for one person to collect. They were organized with notecards with the neatest handwriting Hinata could muster. The largest section was by far nonfiction, but he had a good collection of mystery too. What he considered “fantasy” wasn’t made of fiction novels: rather, all the elusive creatures that allegedly live near his home. “Here.” Komaeda grinned zealously at the selection, which earned a smile from Hinata. “What type of creature are you looking for?”

“Banshees,” He quickly answered. “I always found them interesting.”

“Fair enough.” Hinata turned on his heel, leaving Komaeda in the library. The white-haired boy spent most of his time there from that day forward, almost always reading from the fantasy section. It was intriguing, and while Hinata was looking for a book of his own, he noticed that Komaeda left some annotations with sticky notes. He usually hated when his books had notes sticking out of them, but he would make an exception.

* * *

Despite the positive changes Komaeda had brought into Hinata’s life, there were still many questions left regarding the strange boy. For one, he had never explained where he lived prior to this, or really anything about his previous life other than his loneliness and barely referenced wealth. That didn’t bother Hinata so much; they both had secrets about their past, and that was how things would likely remain. Rather, something else was troubling Hinata’s conscious, something bigger, more sinister, and likely related to the past and abandoned life of Komaeda.

The wail.

Komaeda hadn’t had a nightmare since the one he had on the first night-- none that Hinata noticed, anyways, but Komaeda always stayed up later than the other. Hinata never awoke to the sound of screaming and a high-frequency cry. He was glad, of course, but there was still a deep curiosity Hinata possessed regarding the noise and its causes.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have to wait too long to hear it again.

* * *

_ “please,” she begged, laying over the body of her bleeding mother. “take me too. please.” _

_ they laughed at the pleading girl, only fifteen. _

_ the gunshots went off again _

_ suddenly, i can’t breathe _

_ i never could _

_ what did the books say? _

_ nonsense _

_ i wonder if he- _

* * *

Hinata woke up to a shrieking wail, loud and ringing and alarming. He immediately stumbled out of his room and ran to Komaeda’s, only wearing pajama pants with messy hair and wide eyes.

Komaeda was on the floor rather than the bed, the duvet wrapped loosely around him. His hands were over his ears, but he made no other noise other than the initial shriek. Tears were running down his face, spilling onto his shirt and staining the fabric. When Hinata settled in front of him, his clouded eyes looked at Hinata and immediately filled with more tears.

“Hey.” Hinata bit his lip, punching himself internally for that. He wasn’t really used to comforting people without being awkward or too casual; the skill ran out of use in his years of isolation, “Can I touch you?”

The other looked at him blankly for a second, before nodding shakily. Carefully, Hinata covered Komaeda’s pale hands with his and pried the fragile fingers away from the white hair. Komaeda let him, looking at him intensely and squeezing onto his fingers.

“It’s alright, Komaeda. It’s-” Hinata was cut off by Komaeda suddenly clinging to him, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in his bare shoulder. For a moment, Hinata paused, but he embraced Komaeda back, tentatively running his fingers through his hair and muttering comfort to him. “Breathe. Whatever happened, it was just a dream, yeah?”

“It wasn’t.” Komaeda said suddenly, his voice shaky. “It w-wasn’t, Hinata.”

“It wasn’t what?”

“It wasn’t a d-dream.”

The words chilled, completely terrifying him. Normally, he’d chalk it up as Komaeda being frazzled, but his reply seemed so  _ honest.  _ So true. A million red flags signaled in his head, and every memory of being betrayed and losing trust in others told Hinata that this was bigger than him, worse than him. Regardless, his priority was the shaking boy in his arms, so he stored away the thoughts and held him tightly. “It’s okay. It’s all okay.”

It took Komaeda a while to calm down, his sobs finally ceasing and his body stilling. Even then, he still held onto Hinata burying his face into his shoulder. Hinata kept hugging him, noting that Komaeda was partly in his lap before immediately deciding it was definitely not the time for that kind of observation. 

“Your skin is warm,” Komaeda mumbled. Immediately, Hinata blushed. Once again, the two of them were making very inconvenient observations, but maybe the simple sensations were soothing to Komaeda.

(They were soothing to Hinata, and that scared him because he got a weird feeling that he liked Komaeda more than he should and that’s rather terrifying, especially with all this bullshit, especially with  _ it wasn’t just a dream _ , especially since)

“Do you want to talk about it?” Hinata asked gently. “The dreams, I mean. Not my warm skin.”

Komaeda laughed softly, but the sweet sound didn’t last long. “You don’t want to hear about them, Hinata. I assure you.”

“Don’t worry about if I want to hear them or not. This is about if talking about them will help. I want to help, Komaeda.”

“You do?” His face was still obscured, but Komaeda sounded perplexed.

Hinata sighed. “Why do you think I did any of this if I didn’t want to help you?”

“Sorry. You’re right. I just…” Komaeda began to shake again, less violently than before but still creating a vibration against Hinata. “Nobody’s cared about me before. Nobody still alive, anyway.”

God. Komaeda…

“Sorry.” Komaeda apologized again. “That was rude of me to say. I never know the right timing of things, haha. Aren’t I just the worst-“

“Komaeda, stop.” Hinata inhaled. “You aren’t rude. You don’t have to apologize. You aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“My existence is wrong.”

“Komaeda-“

“I shouldn’t exist, Hinata.”

Hinata’s voice rose to a shout when he spoke. “Komaeda,  _ stop! _ Why can’t you understand that you're a normal person, deserving of love and-“

Suddenly, Komaeda laughed. It was a rough, scratchy sound, different from every other giggle he has done before. It was loud and pained and, judging from the wetness against Hinata’s shoulder, accompanied with tears. “Hinata.” Komaeda wheezed out. “Oh, Hinata. You don’t get it. All the books, all the reading, all the fixation on the supernatural. God.”

“What do you mean?” Hinata was frozen, his eyebrows narrowed.

“Hinata, I’m not a human.” His voice was suddenly a whisper, terrified and fleeting. “What creatures live around here? In trees and caves and the dark? What creatures have exactly four books dedicated to them in your collection? All marked with sticky notes?”

“Komaeda, you’re crazy, what are you-“

“What creatures see death and shriek?”

Hinata was completely still. It felt like all the air had left his lungs. His head was pounding with an answer, something from old folklore and myths, but that couldn’t be true. Still, he opened his mouth and breathed out, “Banshees…”

(It doesn’t make sense, this wasn’t real,  _ this wasn’t real- _ )

With the whisper of that word, Komaeda pushed himself off of Hinata and stood up, trembling with wet eyes and a shaky smile. “Yeah.” He made his way towards the bedroom door, and Hinata stared at him, paralyzed, as he walked out into the biting cold. 

* * *

“Komaeda!” Hinata called out, coat wrapped tightly around him. There was a keenness in the air, sharp and burning as light snowflakes fell around him. He was standing far from his house, near the edge of the mountain and peering into the forest. Trees and caves. That’s what Komaeda said. So where were the caves?

Hinata shouted again, “Komaeda! Please, come here!” He sighed as he got no response, cursing and trudging down the slight decline, brushing past dead bushes and shrubbery, admiring wild roses for only a moment before continuing his search. 

He sped up when he saw a cave in the distance, immediately moving towards it. The cavern was cold, but free from the snowfall outside due to the slight overhang. Hinata moved inside, looking frantically until he saw a figure on the ground, shivering.

“Komaeda!” He gasped, part relieved and part worried. The boy was wearing no outside protection, wrapping his jacket around himself tightly with closed eyes. His eyelashes were frosty from crying, and he didn’t open his eyes even as Hinata picked him up, pulling Komaeda against his chest. “Dammit, Ko!” The nickname came from nowhere, but Hinata could see Komaeda’s blue chapped lips twitch upwards. Hinata held him tightly and carried him, making sluggish but frantic motions through the trees to get Komaeda back to safety, warmth, and comfort.

It took a long time, too long, but soon Hinata pushed open his cottage door and nearly collapsed as the warm air hit his freezing skin. He shut the door and immediately set Komaeda down on the couch, recalling his limited information about hypothermia treatment. He remembered that gradual warmth is key, so he was cautious while wrapping the shivering boy in blankets, making sure his heart rate was normal and that his face and lips were returning to a normal hue. He moved, leaving him alone temporarily to pull out the little milk he had and warmed it, carefully feeding Komaeda the liquid.

When Komaeda seemed in a safer state, he began speaking. “Ko, oh my God. You scared the hell out of me.”

“S-Sorry…” He mumbled softly.

“Don’t apologize.” Hinata spoke gently and warmly. “I’m glad I found you.”

Komaeda muttered to himself before raising his volume. “I’m not.”

Hinata’s heart sank. “You didn’t want me to find you?”

“I have no problem with you, Hinata.” A cold hand reached out of the covers for Hinata’s hand, grasping it tightly. “I didn’t want to be found at all.”

“Komaeda…”

“I’m sorry. But I mean, I’m despicable. I’m not human. I’m a banshee, I’m bad luck.”

“That’s not the way I see you.” Komaeda looked up curiously, and so Hinata confessed. “I lied when I told you I came out here to escape society. Well, it was partly a lie. Before all this, there was Chiaki Chiaki. My girlfriend. She was going to be a mother before the miscarriage, but besides that, we were happy.” He winced at the mention of The Incident, the one as heart wrenching as what followed after. The death of an idea. The death of someone loved before existing. “I was a lawyer, she was a video game designer. We were together through everything, but then…” He inhaled sharply, blinking tears from his eyes. “We were getting mugged by a gang. I was stubborn; I didn’t comply. So everything was stolen from me and her, and I watched her bleed out. I couldn’t say a thing.” Komaeda looked at him, his eyes clear of anything but sympathy.

“You moved to escape that.”

“Yeah.” Hinata sighed. “And I was sad for a while. Just mindlessly doing shit so I didn’t go insane. Slept over at my friends till I got here, away from all that. I wasn’t happy. I hardly smiled. Then you showed up, out of nowhere, bringing color. Bringing life.”

“I bring death, Hinata. I’m a banshee.”

“Not to me.” He hesitated. “Okay, yeah, you  _ are  _ a banshee, but you’ve only ever brought happiness to me.”

Komaeda scooted closer to Hinata, swaddled in blankets and coats, to rest his head in the brunette's lap. “Thank you.” Komaeda breathed out. Hinata stroked his hair gently in response, smiling sheepishly at him. “You’re really far too kind to me, though.” Komaeda looked up through his eyelashes. “You’ve known me for so little time, yet you are so kind to me.”

“It feels like I’ve known you forever.”

_ It feels like I’ve loved you forever. _

“Yeah. Me too.”

The two stayed in that position for a while, even after Komaeda was sufficiently warmed up. Hinata didn’t know when they fell asleep, on that mahogany couch with soft pillows, but the soft texture of Komaeda’s hair and the snores that indicated that the banshee might actually sleep well was worth the neck pain in the morning.

* * *

Hinata and Komaeda made a few silent decisions and changes, ones that became routine gradually. Firstly, the question of whether Komaeda was going to leave the house was answered once they got some new furniture and a warmer bedsheet. When it came time for his birthday, Hinata got him a present, and the topic came up briefly. 

_ “I don’t want to burden you.” _

_ “What if you have guests?” _

Hinata was willing to explain a million times to Komaeda that the company was desired, appreciated,  _ needed. _ Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to: after the fiftieth time, Komaeda seemed to understand.

Another development, strange but not unwelcome, was sharing a bed. They alternated rooms: whichever was closer, whichever they felt like. The first time they slept beside each other, they were pressed to the corners and hardly touched, but in the night Komaeda had cried out and Hinata awoke to comfort him. They exchanged hushed words before falling asleep again, holding on to each other tightly. After the first few nights, they started cuddling in their sleep, and it was a thousand times more comfortable than being alone.

(Hinata wondered if Chiaki would be jealous that he fell asleep wrapped around someone that wasn’t her, someone so  _ different  _ than her yet similar in their abilities to ensnare Hinata’s heart. After thinking one night, Komaeda snuggled into his chest and mumbling in his sleep, Hinata decided Chiaki wouldn’t mind. She’d be happy for him. He missed her, but he had to move on. For him. For Komaeda. For her)

Some nights were less sweet than others. Some nights were interrupted with images of death and multi-faceted screams, and sleeping felt more like survival than anything. Those nights, Hinata would whisper and hold Komaeda right and pray that was enough. 

_ “Komaeda? It’s okay-” _

_ “It was a little boy this time. He was only  _ five _ .” _

_ “It’s okay. You’ve done nothing wrong.” _

_ “I’m so tired of sleeping! I’m so sick of doing this, Hinata! I’m so tired-”  _

_ “Shh. It’s okay. You’re gonna be okay.” _

Some days, the trauma carried on into the morning, leaving the brightly lit house empty and vacant, because neither of them were fully there. Not really.

_ “Ko, it’s ten am.” _

_ “I can’t… I can’t get out of bed. It’s too much. Everything is too much.” _

_ “I’ll bring you breakfast here, then. Fruit fine?” _

_ “...Can we just stay here for a bit?” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “... S-Sorry.” _

_ “It’s alright. I’ve got you. It’s okay.” _

It had been about five months since Komaeda confessed to being a banshee, and it felt like Hinata was falling more in love. His little actions and antics were endearing, and the way he spoke would always be fascinating to Hinata, who watched the passionate boy go on endless tirades about beautiful sounds and sensations and people. It felt like sanctuary. Whenever Hinata seemed to be on auto-pilot, or whenever he was blankly staring at nothing, Komaeda found some way to entertain him, to get him to smile. They protected each other. They have from the start, before they even knew each other’s birthdays or laughs or mannerisms. Everything felt natural, and seeing as the last emotionally-charged event left a cosmic shift that left Hinata unsteady and broken, the freeing love was welcome.

“Hinata?” Komaeda asked one day, his head in Hinata’s lap while the latter read through an article. Neither of them knew how they got there, but the position was comfortable.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been here for a while now, haven’t I?”

“Six months.”

“Yeah.” Komaeda smiled widely. “I used to be so lonely.”

“Where were you really before this?” Hinata had never gotten a straight answer to that question, and it was always lingering. Hopefully, the two of them could finally be honest.

“I wandered. Stayed in towns but left after a week maximum. Wandered the woods.”

“How did you get food? Water?”

He grinned grimly. “Water, I bought from towns and carried. Food… ate about… once a day?”

“Jesus Christ, Komaeda!” Hinata startled. “That’s not enough to sustain yourself!”

“I know. I didn’t really sustain myself. I slept a lot. I cried a lot. I moved a lot. I was lonely a lot. And I was scared. I was really, really scared.” He laughed softly, meeting Hinata’s eyes. “I’m still scared.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot. I think it’s because I’m happy, and I’ve been happy here. Usually. I’m not used to that.” Hinata frowned slightly, petting his hand through Komaeda’s hair while the other curled into him. “But there’s other stuff too. Stuff I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?” A beat. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Komaeda immediately shouted. “No, of course not. It’s just… heh.” His giggle sounded strangled, and Hinata’s concern grew. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“Yeah…” Komaeda inhaled sharply, closing his eyes tightly. “I love you.”

Hinata couldn’t tell if his heart stopped altogether, or if it was pounding loud enough for Komaeda to hear. His eyes were wide, focused on the boy still nuzzled into Hinata’s shirt, but starting to pull away. Hinata didn’t want him to.

He knew the answer. He’s known about it for a while now, a fact that’s been solidifying in his mind for so long. Something he desperately wanted to say, but he was scared himself. He didn’t want something to happen to Komaeda similar to what happened to Chiaki. 

“...Sorry,” Komaeda suddenly said, his voice cutting through Hinata’s thoughts. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were still screwed shut, and he seemed pained. “Forget it. I’m so sorry I-”

“No, no,” Hinata interrupted. “I’m sorry. I was just gathering my thoughts, Ko. I… love you too. I have for a while.”

“...” For a moment, Komaeda was silent. And then, ever so quietly, he mumbled out, “...huh?”

Hinata furrowed his eyebrows, “What?”

“You…” Komaeda sighed. “You shouldn’t.”

“Don’t say that. Ko… you’ve changed my life. For the better. You know that.”

“... Yeah.”

“I love you.”

“...” Komaeda curled against Hinata’s chest, holding part of his shirt with his fist. He buried his face in the other’s shoulder, his body still tense. Hinata wrapped his arms around Komaeda, feeling him relax in the embrace. “I’m scared,” he finally whispered.

“It’s okay.”

Hinata heard a sob, and immediately tightened his grip when Komaeda mumbled, “I’m so scared.” 

“I’ve got you. We’re safe. This is okay, Ko.”

“... I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Things… are going to be okay,” Komaeda said shakily.

“Yeah.”

“You aren’t going to leave.”

“I don’t think I could if I tried.”

He laughed quietly. “Yeah. I love you… Hinata.”

“I love you too, Nagito.”

Komaeda gaped at Hinata for a moment. “You… remembered my first name?”

Hinata shrugged. “It’s important.” He paused, watching Komaeda’s face soften. “You’re important.”

“Can we stay like this?”

“Yeah.”

So they did.

* * *

Time flew by quickly, with changing seasons and warmth and newfound romance. Days went by, filled with so much love neither of them knew what to do with it. Before Hinata even knew it, a year had passed since he met Komaeda. He wasn’t lonely anymore, or scared. He used to never laugh, reading books idly without retaining the information. He’d cook the same meal every day. He would absentmindedly watch the snow from inside, and only glance at blossoming flowers.

Now, he laughed more than he breathed. Komaeda and him read books together, or Hinata read to his boyfriend if it was one of the bad days. They discussed various topics for hours, and it never got boring. They tried new foods, some not appealing to Komaeda’s picky diet, but things felt so much more colorful when they were bantering with each other over recipes. Komaeda’s eyes lit up whenever he saw flowers, and (after being carefully bundled up) they ventured out in the snow, making angels against the fluffy ground and throwing snowballs at each other. 

Hinata never knew that life could get like this; a place exponentially better than the dark one he was in after Chiaki’s death, depressed and heartbroken. Now, he had someone to love, someone to confide in, someone to gush about whenever he called his old friends, hearing the smile in their congratulations. With someone beside him, he had the courage to pick up the pieces of himself had he left behind, recovering on his own with someone to rely on if he needed it. He was okay. He was actually fucking  _ okay _ .

Hinata looked down at the person in bed beside him, snuggling against his chest. He patted the fluffy hair with a soft smile, “Nagito?”

“Yeah?”

“I know you always see death, and you probably always will. I know that it feels like you only ever bring death. But… you breathed life into me. You helped me become okay. You helped me grow.”

Komaeda smiled, tears filling his eyes. “I love you.”

This was the peace Hinata needed, one that lasted, one from a source beyond silence. There was no comfort in the silence he used to live in, but now, there was bliss in the voice he woke up to every day.

For the first time in years, Hinata Hajime was happy.

**Author's Note:**

> ayyyyy final halloween countdown fic!!! i hope u liked it
> 
> (something special and spoopy coming tomorrow)
> 
> btw this is half edited sorry
> 
> uploads should hopefully be regular again, every 3-5 days. i'll try to work on my series but i also have some oneshots i've been working on that are p cool. school b rough tho so,,,,
> 
> have a nice rest of your day!!


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